Falcon 9 Block 5 vs Soyuz U
Side-by-side comparison across specs, pricing, and overall score — every value traced to a source.
Verdict: Falcon 9 Block 5 ranks highest overall (#1) with a score of 71.9.
The best choice still depends on which specs matter for your workload — per-metric winners are marked below.
What the numbers hide
Computed from the published values below — no estimates, no generated claims.
Fragile verdict
The overall winner flips to Soyuz U if Successful Launches is weighted at 50% (it counts for 25% today). If successful launches drives your decision, the ranking above may not be your ranking.
Real tradeoff
Falcon 9 Block 5 clearly beats Soyuz U on LEO Capacity but clearly loses on Successful Launches — this pair is a priorities question, not a quality question.
What nobody reports
Launch Cost (1 of 2 missing) — the questions worth asking vendors directly.
AI hot take
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| Metric | Falcon 9 Block 5SpaceX | Soyuz URussian Federal Space Agency (ROSCOSMOS) |
|---|---|---|
| Overall OptiSift Score | 71.9#1 | 69.8#2 |
| LEO Capacity | 22,800 | 6,900 |
| Successful Launches | 609 | 694 |
| Launch Cost | 52,000,000 | — |
| Failed Launches | 1 | 20 |
| Launch Mass | 549 | 313 |
| Length | 70 | 51.1 |
| Diameter | 3.65 | 2.95 |
| Reusable | Yes | No |